Spotfund makes micro-donations easier with social-first mobile app

Pouring a bucket of ice-cold water over your head, or liking or sharing a charity online might help raise awareness, but what campaigns that go comprehensively viral really need is cold, hard cash. Launched this week, Spotfund has created a site and an iOS app that makes raising $1-$3 donations far easier than before.

Donating to a cause you believe in is as simple as dragging $1, $2, or $3 into the fundraiser’s story.

The company operates under the idea that if everyone who shares a cause they believe in would also drop a dollar in the cause’s coffers, they’d make a huge impact. Instead of having to give ’till it hurts, the idea is to engage your fans, friends and family to each give a manageable sum.

“Making an impact isn’t about the size of your wallet,” says Spotfund CEO and co-founder Sanford Kunkel. “It’s about the power of your social network.”

The fundraising platform is different in that each of the fundraising efforts are based around stories – and once you’ve made your own donation, you can share it — and encourage your followers to do the same — through the usual suspects in terms of social media platforms.

The app further gamifies the process, tracking an “Impact score,” summing up the amount of money you’ve donated, plus the cash raised from the campaigns you shared with your friends; nothing like a spot of competition to get people’s generous juices flowing

“Spotfund is changing the perception of what it means to be civic minded,” Michael Marian, COO and co-founder of Spotfund explains, adding that the stories model helps potential donors connect and engage with the causes they believe in.